Integrated circuits (ICs) have evolved into complex circuitry that can include millions of components on a chip. The evolution of chip designs continually necessitates faster circuitry and greater circuit densities. The demand for greater circuit densities, in turn, necessitates reductions in the dimensions of integrated circuit components, which includes reductions in the sizes of the features that comprise the integrated circuit components.
The reduced feature sizes of the integrated circuit components have presented new problems in the fabrication of such components. The smaller features often have higher aspect ratios that are more difficult to fill in with materials deposited during subsequent processing. Additionally, the decrease in feature sizes also restricts the total time that the integrated circuit may be subjected to higher temperature (e.g., above 450° C.) processes, known as the thermal budget. The reduced thermal budget limits the time allowed for reflowing of the deposited materials to fill in the higher aspect ratio features.
Therefore, processes have been developed to deposit films having greater flow capability. However, such deposited films often use post-deposition processing to improve the quality of the deposited films. The inventors have observed that the additional post-deposition processing is often carried out at higher temperatures and undesirably consume part of the thermal budget at the expense of the remaining thermal budget available for other steps in the fabrication of the integrated circuit. The inventors have further observed that the post-deposition processing often includes higher energy processes that can damage the structure of the device features.
Accordingly, the inventors have provided improved methods for depositing a material on a substrate with improved film quality.